Robert Smith Without Makeup

Robert Smith, the lead singer, guitar-player, and songwriter of The Cure, is perhaps as well-known for his heavily made-up gothic freak look as he is for his music. Smith’s heavy eyeliner, smudgy red lipstick, and messy, spikey black hair are his trademark and we love him for it. (I dressed as him for Halloween every year between the ages of eight and thirteen).

It goes without saying that Robert Smith is not trying to make himself pretty with his makeup. He’s not going for Adam Lambert glamour. The happily-married 53-year old has said in interviews throughout his decades-long career that he began wearing makeup in school because it was forbidden, and it eventually became his defining feature.

Like Lady Gaga, his legions of hardcore fans would be disappointed to see him looking like a regular guy. That said, Robert Smith without makeup looks exactly that … like a regular guy.

In the first photo, Smith is virtually unrecognizable. It’s almost uncomfortable to me to look at him like that because the ordinariness of his appearance belies his musical genius (I’m a huge fan, if you couldn’t tell). His dark hair blends in with the background so the focus is on his face. His eyes are extremely intense, and he could use some sun and an eyebrow-plucking, but I do like the idea of him chilling out and casually playing guitar, as he appears to be.

The second photo was taken nearly thirty years ago in San Francisco. His hair is scruffy and it overwhelms the picture, but I think he looks pretty good. Without the distraction of the makeup, he has nice bone structure and would probably be quite conventionally handsome.